Sir Arthur: - "Sir Harry, now is the time to advance. The French are completely beaten, we have a large body of troops who have not yet been in action. We can be in Lisbon in three days".

"Sir Harry Burrard, however, was having none of it. In keeping with his cautious nature he was convinced that Junot's reserves were far from being exhausted and that his cavalry was greatly superior to Wellesley's. Despite argument to the contrary, the elderly general would not be moved and an irate Wellesley pulled his horse away with a contemptuous aside to his aide-de-camp:

"Well, you may think about dinner for there's nothing for us soldiers to do but to go and shoot red-legged partridges!"1